Water advocate and ultra runner Mina Guli makes every drop count

March 22, 2018 (New York) – Water advocate Mina Guli today launched a new initiative to bring attention to the world’s water crisis: Mina will run 100 marathons in 100 days over six continents, bringing together runners, athletes, water advocates, business leaders and communities around the world. Mina launched the campaign in New York on World Water Day 2018, with her journey set to begin in New York City on November 4.

The run will take Mina to communities and people hit by the water crisis, and to meet those innovating to solve it. From New York, she will run across Europe, China, her native Australia, India, the Middle East, Africa and South America before returning to the United States to complete the run. Partnering with the United Nations Development Programme for the project, Mina will be supported by Colgate and Reebok for her most ambitious challenge yet.

“My runs are a call to the world to join together to save water,” Mina said in New York at a World Water Day event with Colgate. “We need to realize that every one of us can make a difference. Through simple acts like turning off the faucet, we can all help to solve the world's water crisis. I'm 100 percent committed to running for our planet. I want to use this effort not only to tell the stories of what’s really happening on the ground, but to connect and mobilize people and companies to help solve this global water crisis because #EveryDropCounts.”

A call for action was also expressed in an Open Letter from the High Level Panel on Water (HLPW): “Whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you live, we urge you get involved, and contribute to meeting this great challenge: safe water and sanitation for all, and our water resources managed sustainably. Make every drop count. It’s time for action.”

“We are happy to be working with Mina on her 100 marathon campaign," said Reebok’s representative. “This is an incredibly important project and we are proud to support Mina in her endeavour to break athletic and physical boundaries as she raises awareness of our global water crisis. We look forward to working with Mina to reach billions of people with her messages and help her show what it means to be more human."

Mina, part of the World Economic Forum’s community of Young Global Leaders (YGL), and named one of Fortune’s 50 greatest leaders, founded the charity Thirst in 2012 to help educate young people about the world water crisis. In 2016, Mina ran 40 marathons in 40 days across seven continents in just seven

weeks -- a world first. A year later, in 2017, Mina completed a second challenge (and another world first) in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water), running 40 marathons in 40 days on six continents along six of the world’s greatest rivers.